What we learn from The American Revolution (2025)

[Anonymous]

Takeaways from PBS The American Revolution (2025) that relates to our time now?

My first insight:
Democrats (or either major party) needs to focus on
Rights of people are inherent
Humans are important
No one is entitled to pain-free life, but entitled to basic rights

A right/entitlement we deserve better is freedom from corruption.

Take this and apply to to AI, to healthcare, to immigration, careers and jobs.

[Anonymous]

My other takeaway is how beautiful the land was at that time. Industry /ugly architecture has ruined us.

Modernity + nature + beautiful buildings would set us apart if we looked for it.

National parks are our last natural treasure.

[Anonymous]

Wow, you all took a different message than I did. I never quite realized just how awful Washington was to the Natives, personally and in his own hand ordering the genocide of tribes on the western frontier. Or how terrible the Colonists were to each other. The Quakers - noted pacifists - were run straight out of their homes in a city that was literally built for them.

How when the South changed hands the Loyalists and the Patriots took turns wreaking vengeance on each other.

The rapes and pillaging.

How the English actually kept their end of the bargain and did what they could to deliver runaway slaves who served the king off to safety in Canada, despite the Patriots demanding their property back.

How the Patriots barely paid the poor and property-less who fought a war that made many rich.

If there was ever a time when Americans were civil to each other and could reasonably disagree, it wasn’t at our Founding. People had some wildly different ideas about “freedom” and “liberty”.

Kind of amazing that our country came out of that, but in it we are already seeing the seeds of our demise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, you all took a different message than I did. I never quite realized just how awful Washington was to the Natives, personally and in his own hand ordering the genocide of tribes on the western frontier. Or how terrible the Colonists were to each other. The Quakers - noted pacifists - were run straight out of their homes in a city that was literally built for them.

How when the South changed hands the Loyalists and the Patriots took turns wreaking vengeance on each other.

The rapes and pillaging.

How the English actually kept their end of the bargain and did what they could to deliver runaway slaves who served the king off to safety in Canada, despite the Patriots demanding their property back.

How the Patriots barely paid the poor and property-less who fought a war that made many rich.

If there was ever a time when Americans were civil to each other and could reasonably disagree, it wasn’t at our Founding. People had some wildly different ideas about “freedom” and “liberty”.

Kind of amazing that our country came out of that, but in it we are already seeing the seeds of our demise.

I agree it was a highly competitive and changing time. Brutal, right, when your prosperity and family’s future depends on how much you can take, how much you can control.
This is just human nature, though. You can find this in many cultures and histories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takeaways from PBS The American Revolution (2025) that relates to our time now?

My first insight:
Democrats (or either major party) needs to focus on
Rights of people are inherent
Humans are important
No one is entitled to pain-free life, but entitled to basic rights

A right/entitlement we deserve better is freedom from corruption.

Take this and apply to to AI, to healthcare, to immigration, careers and jobs.

Rather ironic when Conservatives have argued for many of these, but Progressives have elevated the collectivism over individual liberty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, you all took a different message than I did. I never quite realized just how awful Washington was to the Natives, personally and in his own hand ordering the genocide of tribes on the western frontier. Or how terrible the Colonists were to each other. The Quakers - noted pacifists - were run straight out of their homes in a city that was literally built for them.

How when the South changed hands the Loyalists and the Patriots took turns wreaking vengeance on each other.

The rapes and pillaging.

How the English actually kept their end of the bargain and did what they could to deliver runaway slaves who served the king off to safety in Canada, despite the Patriots demanding their property back.

How the Patriots barely paid the poor and property-less who fought a war that made many rich.

If there was ever a time when Americans were civil to each other and could reasonably disagree, it wasn’t at our Founding. People had some wildly different ideas about “freedom” and “liberty”.

Kind of amazing that our country came out of that, but in it we are already seeing the seeds of our demise.

Yep. All of the above.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takeaways from PBS The American Revolution (2025) that relates to our time now?

My first insight:
Democrats (or either major party) needs to focus on
Rights of people are inherent
Humans are important
No one is entitled to pain-free life, but entitled to basic rights

A right/entitlement we deserve better is freedom from corruption.

Take this and apply to to AI, to healthcare, to immigration, careers and jobs.

Rather ironic when Conservatives have argued for many of these, but Progressives have elevated the collectivism over individual liberty.

Really ironic when we would not even exist as a people if we did not cease to be individual Virginians and individual Pennsylvanians, but Americans.

[Anonymous]

I keep emphasizing that Republicans pretend to be the party of "freedom" but are most likely to take away rights - they revere religious conservatives who would repeal the 19th and take away women's right to vote.

They do not believe in freedom of religion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I keep emphasizing that Republicans pretend to be the party of "freedom" but are most likely to take away rights - they revere religious conservatives who would repeal the 19th and take away women's right to vote.

They do not believe in freedom of religion.

Showing their freedom-loving ways, MAGA Republicans love Putin and Russia. It's sick, depraved, and sniveling with cowardice. What would Reagan think?

[Anonymous]

I appreciated how they treated the Native American tribes as "countries" on their maps. Traditionally they had been treated like scattered, generally unsophisticated groups who did not inhabit their territory. tbh I'm really sick of land acknowledgments and like much of what the far-left espouses find it condescending and as such at odds with the alleged intent. However, I do recognize that being annoying is sometimes necessary to get an issue out into the wider culture which then mainstreams the idea. Let's hope the way in which Native American tribes were discussed in the program represents the mainstreaming of more truthful depiction and discussion of how the US was populated prior to and during the earlier periods of European colonization.

[Anonymous]

Mind you, I’ve only seen the first episode, but, my take away is that we have always been a country where the wealthy manipulate the poor to get richer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mind you, I’ve only seen the first episode, but, my take away is that we have always been a country where the wealthy manipulate the poor to get richer.

True but the ultra-wealthy small minority hasn't always had control over our political system to the extent they do today. Government for the people and by the people was a legitimate thing for over 200 years.

[Anonymous]

I’m sure PBS took k liberty with the truth..

[Anonymous]

How weak and vapid we have become as a society.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m sure PBS took k liberty with the truth..

Are you capable of elaborating?